Rough Justice

April 21, 1985

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND — John and Paul Burnside insist they are innocent of armed robbery charges. They want to prove it. In the worst way. Their request: Trial by combat with Lord Cameron of Lochbroom, the Lord Advocate of Scotland, technically Queen Elizabeth II's champion. He is not noted as a warrior. The last trial by combat was in the 16th century. Legal experts say wooden staffs were the weapons in those days. Footnote: Robert Black, a law professor at Edinburgh University, says Lord Cameron may have an out: The Burnsides did not throw down a white glove.